Friday, February 22, 2008

Police Riot

Eurogend is the EU's paramilitary police force but at present only consists of police units from five members states.

The following is Eurogends explanation of its emblem, taken from the official website:

"On a background of blue sky, the cruciform sword symbolizes the force, the laurel crown the victory, and the flaming grenade the common military roots of the police forces".

And the following is the explanation of its motto:

" EGF motto is “Lex paciferat”, whose meaning (the law will bring the peace) stresses the principle of the strict connection between the enforcement of the rule of law and the restoring of a safe and secure environmment, cornestone for EGF commitment".

Now I know that British football supporters have been a bit naughty in the past, and no doubt will be again, but believe me the European police can be pretty nasty. What should concern us all is the fact that the British police are becoming increasingly authoritarian, and football grounds seem to be the training ground for the militarisation of the British Bobby, followed by ever more 'robust' policing of demonstrations of which the state disapproves.

Eurogend points to the future direction of policing throughout the EU, and everybody should be worried. What happened in Madrid last night was not a one-off and scenes such as those have occurred here in the UK, and will become more common as the state becomes ever more domineering, powerful and authoritarian.

5 comments:

Hello Mark. I'm afraid it is actually the beginning of the debate. Yes our police are rooted in policing by consent, almost to the extent of us being self-policing, but that is changing and will continuee to change, especially as more and more people challenge the authority of the state as represented/defended by the police. As ever increasing numbers of people, especially 'conservatives', become disillusioned with the police and oppose an ever more authoritarian state, the more miltaristic will become the police.

Things are already pretty fouled up. The Eurogendarmerie is a bit like the Euro, not all member states are part of it yet, but it is inevitable if we remain within the EU. I don't know about you but I no longer feel that I can trust our police, whereas years ago, in my youth, I had the utmost trust and respect for them. And I don't believe that I, and millions of others, are becoming radical and anti-authority merely to make up for our missed radicalism in youth.